Private businesses, government agencies and local volunteers participated in a joint rescue effort at Chilkoot Lake Saturday after a woman hiking up a creek fell 30-35 feet and “suffered a significant injury to her hip.”

The first-year Alaska Mountain Guides/Chilkat Guides employee was on a personal hike with two friends – also AMG guides – about a mile away from the boat launch ramp on the east side of the lake, said Eli Fierer, AMG’s general manager.

The woman was about 300 yards from shore and 600 feet up when she fell while trying to scramble up a waterfall, Fierer said.

One of the other hikers kayaked back to the boat ramp and radioed the AMG office a little after 3 p.m., when Fierer called 911.

The Haines Volunteer Fire Department, headed up by Julie Anderson, responded, and conferred with Fierer. “We agreed if it was possible, then a helicopter would be the best course of action,” Fierer said.

Sean Gaffney, owner of AMG, went up in the Temsco helicopter, which chief pilot Jesse Dominick flew over from Skagway.

Fierer and Wes Heustess hiked in to find the injured woman, and moved her about 50 yards from the bottom of the waterfall to a ridge where the helicopter could conduct a “toe-in” landing, putting down its front end while remaining under power.

Because of the steep terrain, the helicopter couldn’t perform a traditional landing.

“It is more challenging than when you can land with both skids on the ground,” Gaffney said. “But it’s something we can do confidently.”

The helicopter carrying the woman reached the Haines airport a bit before 6 p.m. and was transferred to an ambulance and taken to the clinic. After being evaluated, she was medevaced to Seattle’s Harborview Medical Center.

“We do this work all over the world on an ongoing basis. That’s what we do. And this was as well done as anything could possibly be of that nature. It was truly an exceptional effort. Things went extremely quickly,” Gaffney said.

Tim Holm, co-owner of Chilkoot Lake Tours, was on scene guiding tours when the accident happened, but didn’t hesitate to jump in, Gaffney said. Even with guests on the pontoons boats, Holm and his crew dropped their tours to help ferry members of the rescue team to and from the launch ramp.

“Their willingness to just jump into action and make it happen regardless of the fact that they had guests with them is truly a special thing,” Gaffney said.

Fierer said about 15 people, not including the HVFD volunteers, assisted in the rescue effort.